GTA: San Andreas Gets Adults Only Rating

Rockstar ceases manufacturing the title as the ESRB concludes "hot coffee" probe.

By David Adams

Updated: 19 May 2012 4:52 am

Posted: 20 Jul 2005 9:24 pm

The recent drama, titillation, and controversy surrounding the "hot coffee" modification for Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has reached a sudden climax: the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the game's rating to "AO," or Adults Only. Rockstar has ceased manufacturing of the current version of San Andreas, until the company can offer a version not affected by the mod. The company is also issuing a patch to prevent "hot coffee" access in the PC version.

Interestingly, the ESRB's conclusions contradict Take-Two's original assertion that the mod significantly altered game code, as opposed to simply unlocking content which was otherwise hidden.

"After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that sexually explicit material exists in a fully rendered, unmodified form on the final discs of all three platform versions of the game (i.e., PC CD-ROM, Xbox and PS2)," said ESRB president Patricia Vance in a statement.

The ESRB did find, however, that Rockstar never meant for the "hot coffee" material to be accessible by end-users. Regardless, the organization decided to re-rate the game. "Considering the existence of the undisclosed and highly pertinent content on the final discs, compounded by the broad distribution of the third party modification, the credibility and utility of the initial ESRB rating has been seriously undermined."

Rockstar is currently working on a version of San Andreas which will not allow for "hot coffee" modification and which will retain the ESRB's original "M" rating. The company expects to ship the revised version in its fourth quarter (August through October), and meantime will provide "AO" stickers for retailers who wish to sell the current version of the game.

Games with an "M" rating are intended for players age 17 or older, while a game rated "AO" is meant to restricted to those age 18 or older.

"The ESRB's decision to re-rate a game based on an unauthorized third party modification presents a new challenge for parents, the interactive entertainment industry and anyone who distributes or consumes digital content," commented Take-Two president Paul Eibeler.

"We are deeply concerned that the publicity surrounding these unauthorized modifications has caused the game to be misrepresented to the public and has detracted from the creative merits of this award winning product."

Because of the game's re-rating, and subsequent effect on sales, Rockstar parent company Take-Two is revising its third quarter earnings to $160 to $170 million in net sales, or a net loss per share of $0.40 to $0.45. The company is also lowering its guidance for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2005 to $1.26 to $1.31 billion in net sales.

For its part, the ESRB will now require game publishers to "submit any pertinent content," regardless of whether it is intended to be seen by end-users.

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